Over nine years of touring internationally and 1200+ shows, the Detroit based Koffin Kats new home is on the road. This trio kicked it off in June of 2003 with the mission to not stop for anything. Vic Victor (Lead Vocal, Upright Bass) would join forces with long time friend Tommy Koffin (Guitar) and start laying the ground work for the sonic assault known as The Koffin Kats.
They put together songs with subjects ranging from Sci-Fi to dealing with the horrors of the real world. With Eric “E Ball” Walls (Drums) they began in small local bars playing for beer and eventually made their way out of the Mid West. The next couple of years proved to be up with numerous North American tours and down with drummer changes. During this time they released their first three albums - S/T (2003), Inhumane (2005), and Straying from the Pack (2006).
These releases and the tours caught some attention and helped get the name of ”The Koffin Kats” noticed in the wide world of punk & psychobilly. In 2007 Vic and Tommy hooked back up with Eric to get ready for the fourth album, Drunk in the Daylight (2008), and began what the Kats are now known for… NON STOP TOURING & TRYING TO MAKE EVERY SHOW A PARTY. With their love for their fans and for the road they set out to play everywhere willing to listen to them.
As the years rolled right along the band continued to tour, write relentlessly, and tour even more than ever before. Now that a new album is in the works and more touring on the road there is not stopping these guys but they are a non-stopping machine of power. Frontman and upright bassist Vic Victor took sometime to discuss the band's history, current plans between now and the end of this year even though this year has just begun.
1. For those who may not know who Koffin Kats is can you give us a brief summary?
Vic: Well… I consider us a punk rock n roll band with an upright bass. We tour 8-10 months out of the year in North America and Europe. We like to party.
2. Can you tell me about the band's name Koffin Kats what does it mean?
Vic: It doesn't mean anything. I always thought it had a nice ring to it.
3. Do you ever feel any pressure to being a 3-piece act?
Vic: Not really. 3 creative minds and egos are enough to make this band run just fine. Anything more than that might cause problems for us haha. We have no issues making our sound heavy with just one guitar, upright bass, and drums. But i also like how stripped down we can get. Also, having more than 3 people onstage during our set could prove disastrous and someone would for sure get hurt. We have a hard enough time not hurting ourselves when its just Ian and I throwing shit around and running back and forth.
Vic: At this point in time that thought going through my mind is "hmmmm how do we top that one." Were very happy with that album as its our most solid one yet. The mix is dead on to what i was hoping to hear in a recording from us and I feel the songs stand out a bit more from previous efforts.
5. Sailors Grave Records is the label your signed with how did you get signed with them?
Vic: We wrote them and asked if they would like to release our next record. They said yes. But, you have to understand that we had been on their radar for a while and we were locked up in some other agreements that didn't let us just go off and start working with any label we wanted. After some time and we were freed up and contacted SGR letting them know our interest. We are very happy to be a part of the Sailors Grave family. We are not pressured to write, dress, or do anything we don't want to (not that we ever have been). They just do a good job of distributing our current release "our way & the highway." We look forward to the next record.
6. Do you guys have any new music in the works?
Vic: We just started putting songs together this week. A day after we got home from tour we were in the studio doing a cover for a Rancid tribute. The the next day we were in E-balls basement practicing new material. We can't slow down at this point. It just doesn't feel right if we are not always on the go with this band. Its what we do for a living at this point.
7. How has the current tour been going?
Vic: Its was good! 10 months this past year. Almost 240 shows. We were shooting for 250 but Ian had gotten pneumonia and we had to have our first guitar player, Tommy, fill in but he could not do some Canadian shows with us so we had to cancel that leg.
8. What is it about Koffin Kats that really attracts people to your music?
Vic: I recently had someone at a show tell me that on bad days certain songs of ours help him vent. On good days he listens to other songs of ours that make him want to party. He then thanked me for writing music that people can connect to. I then told him i hope its not the one about the chainsaws that he connects with. For me that's one of the biggest honors is having someone actually say that some words that i threw together over a chord progression actually helped them in some way. I don't know if that's really what attracts most people though. I think its just that we play fast and put a few catchy hooks here and there in our songs. Or maybe its just the upright bass.
9. The plans for 2013 are what?
Vic: Tour in Texas and the Midwest in Feb. Tour throughout Canada in March. Tour throughout Europe April through June. Record in July. Relax in August. Tour North America in support of our 10 year record release (that has yet to be named) September to the end of the year.
10. Anything else you'd like to say or add?
Vic: We certainly appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and invite you to check us out live sometime. We post our tour dates regularly on www.koffinkatsrock.com and you can find on social media sites by just searching for us. Thank you! Hope to see you out there somewhere!
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